Critters, Garden, Village Life
Butterflies!
Whoa! As of this week I totally have to quit complaining that my butterfly bushes aren’t attracting many butterflies! Today alone, this beauty, and two more like her, were on the bushes when I went out this morning. She’s a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.
I’ve never seen the black variant like this one before and to have three at once! All black Eastern Tiger Swallowtails are female, which as a horse color genetics ‘hobbyist’ I find fascinating. (Yes, I study equine color genetics as a hobby. No, I don’t think that’s unusual. So… what are your hobbies?)
*Sigh!*
Isn’t she gorgeous?
15 Aug 2008 JAS
I have to say the butterflies in our yard this year have been - sparse. As is none. Which is not normal, we usually have at least 3 or 4 different kinds. Then again, I normally have woods full of the songs of Wood Thrushes; this year - none.
This is the first year we’ve had any butterflies, other than a few cabbage whites off and on and a rare monarch flapping through in the fall. We have many flowers and shrubs that are attractive to butterflies, but apparently the butterflies didn’t get that memo. We don’t usually get hummingbirds, either, although my neighbor has canna lilies this year and I’ve spotted several hummers there. Wonder what happened to your Wood Thrushes…?
What beautiful shots of that butterfly! Nice!
Thanks, Dan!
